first day in London?
 

I'm arriving in London at 8am Sunday morning in February with my young (8) son - what's a good "first" thing to do/see as we recover from jet lag? We'll be staying 8 days, so no need to rush through things. <BR>thanks

Hi lisa <BR>It depends on how your son does on the plane. If he manages to get enough sleep on the plane to keep him going for a while, then drop your bags off at your hotel <BR>(room may not be ready unfortunately, often the case with morning arrivals) and go get some breakfast/lunch.That will revive both of you. Depending on what neighborhood you are in, take a walk to get your meal, and stop in one <BR>of the nearby attractions after your meal. As one example, Covent Garden, although touristy, is stimulating to look at and browse through, and <BR>offers several eating options. I wouldn't do a strictly museum-type experience on the first day, although museums like the Imperial War Museum <BR>were very much enjoyed by my 8-year old nephew on other days. <BR>Return to your hotel in the mid to late afternoon and either do room service or a picnic for dinner, so that you don't have to get dressed and go out again. If you both go to bed early and get a full night's sleep, you should be fine the next day. <BR>Londoner Ben Haines recommends that when you arrive at the airport you buy two copies of "Kids Out in London" so that your son will have his own copy to browse through and choose. <BR>There are several guidebooks on this subject: go to amazon.com and do a search on <BR>"London kids".or "London family" or "London children". <BR> <BR>

Chances are your room will not be ready but they should allow you to drop your bags off (hang on to valuables tho). I'd simply go for a walk and breakfast, don't go too far from the hotel so you can get back and check on the room, you can ask for the first avail. room. We normally don't get into London till about 2 p.m. when we go so we simply stay outdoors and walk around and have an early dinner and go to bed, but you will be there a lot earlier than that, so maybe a short nap might be OK. I stress short because if you sleep too much you will be out of wack for days! Whatever you do, do a low key activity. Even if you are excited and feel good you are going to be tired. It's important to stay outdoors as much as possible to reset your body so to speak. Go for a walk in a nearby park, go get your 7 day tube pass (get it to start the next day as you probably won't need to waste the first day on it - they will gladly date it to start the following day you buy it). Eat an early dinner, get to bed about 8-9 p.m. You will probably wake up early in the a.m. but you should feel OK if you don't try and see all of London in the first hours after arrival :-)

thanks for the input - my son is 8, and we'll be staying in the southkensington area- Should we try a walk in the Kensington park, or the Horse Guards ceremony (do they change the guards on Sunday and at what time?) <BR>thanks <BR>I've gotton wonderful advice on this site!

Lisa, <BR> <BR>If your plane arrives at 8:00, you probably won't clear the airport for 45 minutes. Then you've got the trip into town (depends on which airport and how you travel to London, but another 40 minutes or more). So you're in London dropping off your luggage just before 11:00 a.m. <BR> <BR>I would suggest taking a walk, assuming the weather is decent, to shake out the cobwebs. London has wonderful parks, many with playgrounds. Also, you can fight off the effects of jet lag with food (and caffeen for adults)...at least for a while...so you may want to grab a bit to eat soon after arriving. <BR> <BR>Many people take an orientation tour on their first day in London. A hop-on-hop-off bus tour is popular, but your son may also enjoy the "Frog Tour" that runs as an amphibious bus/boat through London's streets and into the Thames! <BR> <BR>If the weather is bad, and you are looking for an indoor venue, I suggest that you try the Science Museum. Kids really love this place, it is so interactive, that it won't put them to jet-lagged visitors to sleep like a traditional museum or a tour of a historic building might. <BR> <BR>Hope these suggestions are helpful. Feel free to look at my website for more information on travel to London with kids: <BR> <BR> http://www.KidsToLondon.com <BR> <BR>Regards, <BR> <BR>David White <BR>LET'S TAKE THE KIDS TO LONDON

I WISH this bulletin board would allow posters to edit their submissions...please excuze the grammur/speling errers on my message

I heartily recommend taking a "Big Bus" tour to get a great overview of the city and figure out where things you want to see are located relative to other sights. There are 3 different routes and you will have time to try them all, and see nearly everything as you drive by. An additional benefit is you can buy tickets to very busy attractions, like the Tower, at the bus stop to use later in your trip and avoid all the long lines. It's the perfect way to spend an introductory, jet-lagged day. By late afternoon, you'll probably be ready to call it quits, go back to your hotel and rest up for the next day.

Hi, Lisa, <BR>If you and your son are not totally gassed after the flight/airport/hotel business, I'd recommend a walking route which is my standard "welcome (back) to London" opener, best experienced in the morning after a transatlantic flight: <BR>Ride the tube to Waterloo (that will be fun for him as a start), then walk up to the south embankment of the Thames, thence over Westminster Bridge, past Parliament, and up Whitehall to Trafalgar Square. Your son will see Big Ben, Downing Street, the mounted sentries at Horse Guards, and ultimately the column and pigeons at Trafalgar Square. It's a high concentration of British imagery, familiar to everyone, and it will tell you and your son exactly where you are. Very memorable. <BR>

Hi Lisa, <BR> <BR>My vote goes with the hop-on, hop-off bus tour. It's a great chance to get acquainted with the city with out taking a lot of energy. We did the Big Bus and the tickets were good for 24 hours, which we took advantage of the following morning. Have a great time! Mary

I agree with all of the above that walking and staying outdoors is a good idea. I would leave the hop on hop off bus tour til the next morning. I made the mistake of taking my nephew on it the first day and he fell asleep on the bus. We had to do it again the next day. Have fun.

thanks to everyone - can't wait.